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By Steven Cole SmithOrlando Sentinel
January 19, 2008
When the 1990 Mazda Miata was introduced in the summer of '89, reviewers heralded it -- and rightfully so -- as the return of the affordable sports car. Certainly there were cars that were sporty, but the Miata, in the tradition of the Triumph, MG and Fiat models that once delighted U.S. customers (right up until they broke, which seldom took long), appealed to genuine enthusiasts. And it was icing on this particular cake that the Miata turned out to be virtually bulletproof, with plenty of high-mileage examples still running around today. At a base price of about $14,000, the 1990 Miata and its 116-horsepower four-cylinder engine provided a fun factor that was unmatched at the time. So it's all the more remarkable that now, 19 model years later, everything we said about the 1990 Miata applies to the 2008 model. Well, except for the name -- the Miata has always been the MX-5 Miata, but in other parts of the world, it was just the MX-5. Now Mazda has tried to force the use of that name here, too, though the window sticker for the 2008 test car still says "MX-5 Miata." To many of us, it'll always be the Miata. Challengers to the Miata's niche in the marketplace have come and gone, ranging from the Australian-built Mercury Capri to the last generation of the Toyota MR2 Spyder, and none has made much of a dent in the Miata's popularity. Granted, it's a limited market -- Mazda only sold a little over 15,000 Miatas in 2007 -- but it's a loyal audience, and the company has found that Miata buyers like to stay in the Mazda family when the decide they need a different vehicle later. The 2008 MX-5 Miata lineup starts with an ultra-base model that sells for $20,585, not including shipping, and makes do with no air conditioning and a vinyl top. You can work your way up the lineup to the test car, a Grand Touring model with a power retractable hardtop. When Mazda proposed a retractable hardtop, it sort of flew in the face of everything the cars stands for -- this top adds weight, complexity and price -- plus, the Miata's soft top has always been ridiculously easy and convenient to raise and lower. But this retractable hardtop works so well that all but the hard-core sports-car types were quickly won over. Flip the latch and press a button, and the hardtop folds itself into a space behind the seats, intruding not at all on the small but usable trunk. And when it's up, it adds structural rigidity and sound deadening that really makes highway driving a nicer experience. Personally, I probably wouldn't pay what the new top costs, but I sure wouldn't try and talk you out of it. The cost, incidentally, of the test car is $26,760 to start, and with delivery and a few options (Sirius satellite radio, which I'll gladly pay $430 for), plus a $500 sport suspension package (OK, I'll buy that, too), and an interior trim package (I'd save $515 there), the bottom line was $28,800. That's still $6,000 less than a Honda S2000, which is faster but, I submit, really no more fun to drive. The test Miata, being a Grand Touring, had leather upholstery, a Bose seven-speaker stereo system and plenty of other premium features. The 2.0-liter, 166-horsepower four-cylinder engine (horsepower drops a bit with an automatic transmission) is gutsy and willing, and the six-speed manual transmission is excellent. Steering feel is spot-on, handling is delightful, and the ride isn't bad at all. Downsides? Strictly a two-passenger car, with a moderately cramped footwall, but it's better than it used to be. The little engine likes you to shift gears, so the driver is pretty busy. We don't have this problem here, but if you've ever driven a Miata in the snow, it's no fun, even with the limited slip differential. For what the car is, and what it has always been, the MX-5 Miata is essentially without peer. And whether you like the retractable hardtop or not -- and I do -- the soft top is still available for purists, and the hardtop just adds one more feature that makes the car a little more practical as a daily driver. Most important: It's as much fun now as it was in 1990. Sentinel Automotive Editor Steven Cole Smith can be reached at scsmith@orlandosentinel.com.
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